Our work, our thoughts, our leisure, our lives must ordered be, That each brings its full measure of honour to Q V
I went to school for the first time in June 1918. Although I was enrolled as a Queen Victoria pupil I went on alternate mornings or afternoons to Western Board School as Queen Victoria School was occupied by troops it being the first World War.
My recollection of those early days are rather sketchy. My memories really start at the later years in Senior Department. The teachers I recall are Miss Perris, Mr Spark (later Head Master at Ralph Gardner School), Mr Davis (later Head Master at Percy Main), Mr Lapping and Mr Milne, (later Head Master at the Jubilee Trades School). I believe Mr Lapping and Mr Milne wrote the school song the words of which were:
Some talk of schools like Eton whilst others Harrow praise
And some will sing of Rugby in rousing roundelays
We love our home of learning, we’ll hymn it worthily
As all our thoughts keep turning to this our school Q V
They boast that on their playfields the wars of old were won
But boys of our town North Shields their duty to have done
And some whose names are sculptured for one and all to see
Were boys whose thoughts were nurtured in this our school Q V
It may not be in battle midst sounds of wars alarm
We all can try our mettle in peace’s holy calm
Our work, our thoughts, our leisure, our lives must ordered be
That each brings its full measure of honour to Q V
The tune was composed by Mr Lapping who was Organist at Stephenson St. Congregational Church (he readily admitted that it was based on The British Grenadiers). His music lessons were to serve me in good stead in later years.